Railway-rail joint



(No Model.)

1, J. MILLER, J1

v RAILWAY'RAIL JOINT. No. 312,490. Patented Feb. 17, 1885.

" mm Im Q v elfli or UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC J. MILLER, JR, CINCINNATI, OHIO.

.. RAILWAY-RAIL JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lecters'Pjatent No. 312,490, dated February 17, 1885. Application filed March 10, 1884. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC J. MILLER, J r., a

citizen of the United States, residing at Gin;

cinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in, Railway-Rail Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of an improved railway-rail joint formed of a mortise and tenon with or a part of the rail.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a continuous rail, and avoida transverse opening or space in the tread of the rail.

Another object of my invention is to dispense withthe use of'fish-plateabolts, and rivets.

Another object of my invention is to provide' a lock-joint which will prevent displacement of the rail when laid in its usual position on the ties.

Another object of my invention is to provide a joint which may unite the rails between the ties and support a train without material vertical depression of the ends of the rails/fall 'of which will be fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-- v Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improvement in position on the road-bed. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one end of the rail-joint. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the opposite side of the rail-joint. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan View of one of the end sections. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 7 is a per spective view showing the rails in position for putting the same together.

A represents the tread of an ordinary rail; a, the flanges; b, the web of the ordinary shape.

In order to form my improved mortise the stock or metal of the flange is increased, which is represented by B, Figs. 1, 3, and 7.

D represents my improved mortise, which is formed on the under side of the rail, preferably-quadrant shaped, being more than one fourth of a circle extending beyond the central line of the tread, as indicated by dotted 5 and 6; buta segmental-shaped mortise of much less than one -fourth of a circle will be very efficient. It is formed in the under side of the thickened flange B, chiefly upon one side of this center line of the rail.

0 represents atenon which extendsforward from the base of the flange on the opposite side of the rail; and the metal forming the flange in the rear of the tenon is preferably thickened at E, to furnish a lateral support for the same. This tenon is likewise of seglines in Figs.

- mental shape to be of such contour as to fit the mortise. It is shown greater than a quarter of a circle as it projects beyond the center of the line of the tread a distance corresponding to the opposite extension of the mortise in the rear, which forms a shoulder, d, as shown in Fig. 5, which forms the lock for preventingthe pulling of the rails apart endwise. The mortise and tenon are each the counterpart of the other in shape and position, except the tenon is made shorter than the mortise, so as to allow a space between allow for contraction and expansion of the metal, as indicated by the black lines in Fig. 2, the tenon extending forward, and the mortise rearward, of the abutting end of the tread of the rail, and formed in the two opposite flanges at the end of the rail, as shown. The flange of the mortise could be lessened and still furnish a lateral lock, because it is arouated, and the tenon be made any shape outside of the segment used.

Fig. 6 shows the end contour of the tenon and the contour of the-mortise, both together forming ahalf-circle, though the contour of the mortise may be situated above that of the tenon, in which case it would require that the other half of the joint be so made that the purposes herein mentioned be accomplished.

In order to more effectually hold the rails in position to support vertical strain, I provide the following additional features of the tenon and mortise, which together form a truss-j oint support. I

6 represents a secondary preferably quadrant-shaped mortise formed in the forward the ends of the tenons and in the mortises, to I end of the tenon C; y, a correspondinglyshaped projection or tenon formed at the extreme inner end of the mortise. The length of this projection must be greater than the amount of space provided for the increased length of mortise over the tenon.

In order to facilitate the construction of the joint, and to allow the easy insertion in and removal of the tenons from the joint, the arcs of the circles forming the end of the mortise, as shown in Fig. 6, approach each other as they project up from the base of the rail, as shown in Fig. 6, forming a tapering-shaped mortise, and the tenon is correspondingly tapered or shaped to fit the mortise.

The method of locking the rails is by turning one of them sidewise (shown in Fig. 7) and then turning it up, the tenons entering the mortises D,when the lock is complete and susceptible of no movement save that which is necessary for expansion and contraction.

In order to form a continuous rail, the ends, instead of being cut off square, the head and web are formed of two reverse curves 011 each side ofthe central longitudinal plane, as indicated in Fig. 1. Thisform of constructing the ends of the abutting heads of the rails preserves the continuous tread as the tread portion of one rail always overlaps or extends past a part of the tread end of its abutting rail, and forms a feature of my invention.

-The tread of the rail may be made transversely, or in other ways than as above described, requiring only a corresponding modification in other respects. A rail may have the tenon O at both ends in the same flange, and the mortise D in the opposite flange, in which case it is easily laid, and when desired easily removed; or rails may be made having the tenon O in opposite flanges, and the mortise D in opposite flanges of the same rail, in which case they may be easily laid but not removed, because one end of a rail would be constructed to turn out in the opposite direction from its other end.

I do not desire to limit myself to the specific form herein shown so far as the first three clauses of claims of invention are concerned, as I believe I am'the first to form a flanged or laterally-locking mortise in the flange upon one side of the rail, and a corresponding tenon projecting from the base of the opposite flange to form a lock-joint in the rail itself, substantially as specified. Neither do I wish to limit said claims to a quadrant-shaped mortise or tenon, as either may be segmental and much less than a quarter of a circle, and can be used with good results, the arcuated portion of the mortise forming a flange to prevent lateral movement; also, the circular portion of the mortise may be segments of different circles, the same joined together by any desired line or angle.

I do not wish to confine myself to the location of the pull-lock d, as it may be placed at any portion between the union of mortise and tenon and still accomplish the objects herein described. Nor do I mean to limit myself to this particular purpose whereof I have described this invention, because it is useful in the structure of bridges and other constructions where joints are desirable .in the stock or metal itself, or in combination therewith, which would be removable or immovable, made or not with an allowance of space for temperature.

It will be obvious that ajoint could be made by having a single mortise and tenon upon one side of the rail, the tenon being formed on one rail and a corresponding mortise in the abutting rail; In this construction the pull-lock d or its equivalent could also be used were the tread ends configurated diagonally, mitered, letter S shape, or better,with reverse curves the ends of which are at right angles to the tread. Such a construction would contain the features of my invention.

It is obvious that this invention without the pull-lock d would have the mortise on one side of the vertical center of the rail and the tenon on the other, which allows the insertion of one end into the other, both by turning it in sidewise and by putting one end into the other endwise, and when thus constructed the mortises and tenons may be angular or other devious shapes.

My mortise is distinguished from gains cut into the base and sides of rails, as I employ an outside flange projecting down outside of the tenon, and forming a lateral support to prevent a side movement of the tenon in its mortise, thereby forming a brace or lock-joint.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A rail having a flanged mortise formed in the under side of one of its flanges, B, at the end of the rail, and a fitting-tenon projecting from the base of the opposite flange and forming one-half of an interlocking railjoint, substantially as described.

2. A rail having the tenon Oprojecting from the base of one of its flanges, and adapted to interlock with aflanged mortise formed in the flange of an abutting rail, substantially as described.

3. A rail having the flanged mortise D formed in one of its flanges at the end of the rail, and adapted to receive and interlock with a tenon projecting from the opposite flange of an abutting rail.

4. A rail-joint formed in the rails, consisting, essentially, of the tenons O and flanged mortises D, formed at the ends of the rails, and adapted to reciprocally interlock each with the other, substantially as described.

5. A rail-joint formed of tenons and mortises attached to and formed in the flanges of the rails, with the web and tread of the rail terminating in two reverse-curved abutting lines upon each side of the center of the tread, substantially as described.

6. A rail-joint composed, substantially, of

IIO

the tenons O andn ortises D, formed upon the base of the flanges of the rails, of segmental shape, each chiefly outside of the central line of the tread of the rail, and forming an interlocking shoulder, d, to prevent the end removal of the rails, substantially as described.

7. A rail-joint composed, substantially, of the quadrant-shaped tenons G and mortises D and secondary supporting-tenonsg and mortises e, or their described equivalents, substantially as described.

8. A rail-joint composed, substantially, of one or more tenons, 0, having a secondary mortise, e, one or more niortises, D, and secondary tenons 9, adapted to interlock, sub- 15 stantially as described.

9. A joint made by means of one or more mortises and one or more tenons, constructed as described, so that the parts will interlock by turning one rail at an angle to the other 2o and introducing the tenon in the open side of the mortise, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set my 

